"What are you going to do, Uncle Ben?" asked Frank.
"I am going to keep them ruffians prisoners for a while," replied he, as the boat shot away from the island with the raft in tow.
"You don"t mean to keep them there?"
"I sartinly do, till your father comes home, and he may do what he pleases with "em. If I had my way, I"d tie "em up to the grating, and give "em a dozen apiece. "Twould sarve "em right, the meddlesome rascals! I like good boys, but such boys as them is worse nor marines."
"But, Uncle Ben, we can"t sail with this raft dragging after us."
"We will make the sh.o.r.e with it, then."
The raft was towed ash.o.r.e, and the boys had a fine sail the entire length of the lake. As they pa.s.sed Centre Isle, they could see the Bunkers gathered in a ring, apparently discussing their prospects; and on their return, Tim hailed them, begging to be taken ash.o.r.e.
"What do you say, boys? Shall we forgive "em?" asked Uncle Ben.
"Yes!" exclaimed all three.
Uncle Ben landed at the island, and took them in, and during the pa.s.sage read them a severe lecture on the error of their ways. They gave good attention to him, and seemed very penitent. But no sooner had they got ash.o.r.e, and out of reach of the old sailor, than they insulted him by hooting his name, coupled with the most opprobrious epithets.
"No use to be easy with "em. The better you use "em the worse they sarve you," said Uncle Ben, as he hauled the boat into its house.
CHAPTER V
THE CLUB BOAT
For a fortnight the Bunkers did not venture to approach the residence of Captain Sedley. The raft, which Uncle Ben had been instructed to break up, was removed some distance down the lake before he had time to execute his orders. After a few days the memorable incident of the "Fourth" ceased to be talked about, and was finally forgotten.
Two weeks pa.s.sed away. Uncle Ben had been absent from home three days.
He went to Boston with his employer, who returned without him. To Frank"s earnest inquiries as to where he was, his father only replied that he would return soon.
It was after nine o"clock in the evening on the third day when he returned. Frank teased him to tell where he had been all the time; but Uncle Ben only looked strange and mysterious, and would not gratify his curiosity.
Frank got up the next morning quite early, and walked over to the widow Weston"s with Charles. On their return, a new object on the lake attracted the attention of the latter.
"h.e.l.lo, Frank! what"s that?" exclaimed he. "By gracious! it is a new boat!"
"So it is; and what an odd-looking craft!"
Both boys ran with all their might down to the little beach by the road to get a nearer view of the strange boat.
"My eyes! look at it!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the wondering Charles.
"What can it mean? It wasn"t there last night," said Frank.
"No; and it looks like the boats we read about in the fairy books. I shouldn"t wonder if she dropped down out of the clouds. Isn"t she a beauty?"
"That she is! And how long and slender she is!"
"One, two, three--twelve places for the oars," cried Charles.
"Uncle Ben knows something about her, I believe!" exclaimed Frank, as a beam of intelligence penetrated his mind.
"Just twig the bow! "Tis as sharp as a razor."
"And there is her name on each side of it--Zephyr! What a pretty name it is!"
"So it is. That boat"s a ripper, let me tell you!" said Charles enthusiastically.
"A what?" asked Captain Sedley, coming down from a thicket in the grove close by, where he had been enjoying the astonishment of the boys.
"O father!" exclaimed Frank, "whose is she? Where did she come from?
What is she for?"
"One question at a time, Frank. But before I answer any of them, let me say a word to you, Charles. You said she was a "ripper" just now."
"That wasn"t any harm, was it?"
"Not a very elegant word, though. I will warrant you cannot find it in the dictionary."
"I merely meant that it was a very fine boat."
"I presume you meant nothing wrong; but such expressions do not add anything to the force of language, and using them may induce a bad habit. If you a.s.sociated with boys accustomed to use profanity, this desire to use strong words would lead you into the practice."
"I never thought of that."
"Just now you said, "By gracious!" Such phrases are apt to induce profanity, and are no addition whatever to the force of your remark."
"I don"t know that they are."
"You were very much surprised at seeing this boat."
"We were, indeed."
"Frank, it is yours," added Captain Sedley, turning with a smile to his son.
"Mine, father!" exclaimed Frank, clapping his hands.
"It is yours, and of course your friends will derive as much pleasure from its use as you will yourself."
"But where did it come from, father?"
"Two months ago, when the Bunkers first began to amuse themselves with the raft, the idea of procuring it occurred to me. I saw that you and Charles both had a great desire to join in their sports. For obvious reasons I could not permit Frank to do so; but I immediately resolved that you should have the means of enjoying yourselves on the lake in safety and comfort, and I ordered this boat to be built."
"Isn"t she a beauty!" exclaimed Charles.